Opinions

Thanks to the owners of Rocky Top Campground at the top of the Tecumseh curves on Highway 160 for having the big, beautiful light display at Christmastime. I couldn’t believe something like that was in Tecumseh! I’m so glad I read about it in the Ozark County Times so that I knew it was up there...

This report is written by Missouri School of Journalism students and staff for publication by MPA member newspapers in print and online.
Greitens delivers State of the State address
Gov. Eric Greitens took a reflective tone Wednesday night during his State of the State address, lauding his first-...

Rural Missourians need action from the Missouri legislature on a number of issues this session, but two issues stand out as being critical to our long-term success.Road and bridge funding is rural Missouri’s top priority. Missouri Farm Bureau members have long supported increasing funding for...

Happy New Year! With God allowing us to live among some very kindhearted folks, we feel our Ozark County Toy Drive of 2017 was a success. I’m always amazed how many people are willing to give money and time, work and effort to make our toy give-away a joy-filled time of year.
This is all made...

Space heaters can be a lifesaver during extreme weather conditions, but it’s important to ensure that any heater you might have is safe to use. My husband Drew and I recently had a scary experience with an electric radiator space heater that caused this warning to become a reality for us.
We...

An old friend recently sent me a picture of the present his wife gave him for Christmas last year. It was a sweatshirt with a picture of a couple of calves on the front, accompanied by the words, “Sorry for what I said when we were working cattle.”
Bud said it worked great because he just had to...

To read more of retired Gainesville educator Jane Elder’s blog, Ozark Road, visit gainesvillemo.blogspot.com. To her most recent post, she added this disclaimer: I know there are some people out there that might add to ... or correct ... some of what I remember. I can plead old age ... or some such...

This column is reprinted with permission from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The writer is the husband of Ozark County native Marla Morrison Messenger and the son-in-law of Gainesville resident Carlene Morrison, who owns the farm where Ruby is buried.
After more than 30 years of parenting, I...

Last week, instead of letting the status quo in the swamp continue – taxing folks until the cows come home – I joined President Trump at the White House to mark the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. It’s very simple; this new law will allow you to keep more of what you earn by sending less of...

Shelby Kinsey and her boyfriend Bailey Elliott pause for a quick photo with children who were able to live in a new home thanks to building efforts by volunteers with Project H.O.P.E. Shelby met Bailey, who stays in Nicaragua as a missionary for the majority of the year, during a recent mission trip. He surprised her on Sunday, March 11, when he walked into Texas Roadhouse In Springfield, where she was celebrating her 17th birthday by having dinner there with her parents, Gary and Heather Kinsey.

After last spring’s monumental flood washed away the gravel boat ramp and much of the bank at Cook’s Landing on Bryant Creek, the Missouri Department of Conservation brought in boulders so drivers wouldn’t accidentally drive off the badly eroded creek bank.

It’s believed Sunday night’s fire started in the kitchen area of the Millers’ manufactured home, but no specific origin has been determined. Four dogs perished in the fire. Gainesville firefighter Sage McGinnis saved a fifth dog from the blaze, but another pet, a basset hound, is missing.